I wanted to create a weapon that would fit any campaign (hence the use of very bland-high-fantasy back story) that would enable the wielder to have some serious firepower, but at an ethical cost. And it could certainly add some intrigue to any campaign - just how do I feed this sword? Will it be a rival PC, or will one have to resort to senseless murder of an NPC? When does enough become too much? Will the PC succumb to the sword's lust for violence? Will he end up as a crystal statue? Or will he/she sense that this sword asks too much, and abandon the blade? Go to Comment

Good question. At your discretion, it may be imbued in the blade, or perhaps the PCs will delve into the forbidden lore of the sword in an epic sidequest, in the ruins of the mage-smith's tower. Go to Comment

Much like Masayaf, from Assassins Creed. Assassin Cult/Temple Cities are always filled with lots of good hooks (they are full of Freakin Assassins!) beautifully detailed - i get a distinctly somber, eerily quiet pious feel from the description. I think I may also be envisioning an old, old place that was once a seat of power, once beautiful and teeming with masses of pilgrims, now reduced to a backwater, where only the assassin cultists remain. Que a little bit of dramatic light rain and overcast skies.

i'm not going to vote yet. I think there is alot of good potential here, that needs further extrapolation. As a writer, theres not much I can do with just this to make it a unique, or interesting story. As a TT gamers, theres not much I could do to integrate this into my campaign. I understand this is supposed to be a scholarly inerpretation of Magic, but I feel it would be so much better with a bit more meat.

In other words, it's a good, strong framework, but now the building needs some walls.

Interesting. I didn't find anything here that I wouldn't have had to learn about in my 8th grade biology class. It was certainly less graphic than my sex ed class. Perhaps our ideas on NSFW are far in disparity, but I didn't find this selection all that gritty. Go to Comment

diabolical. I do like the symbiotic (well sort of) relationship between living and dead, and it certainly lends some science to the traditional view of the undead. The bud itself was hard for me to envision without drawing it out, but once I had it visualized, very cool and very undead looking (if a strange plant-bacteria-thing can look undead.)

Upon thinking about it, I think you should have a 5. You presented a number of logical scenarios, and uses both malevolent and benign, as well as offering a more sinister version of the corpse bud that hunger for living flesh (dare I say sentient?)

I thoroughly enjoyed that. Truly well written. I am beginning to REALLY like the campaign world you have painted, perhaps because I have taken more European History Classes than I'm likely to admit to, and this who 16th/17th century conspiracy picture is just too cool to simply graze over.

4.5/5

Well detailed, elegantly worded, the stunning picture of a gentleman of the Counter Reformation Era. I cant wait to hear more.

Quick question: I understand that he is a member of the New Temple of Solomon, but I'm not familiar with what kind of Christian he is. Catholic or Lutheran/Reformed? Perhaps the Order doesn't particularly make a distinction between orthodoxies? The depth, mysticism and complexity of the Catholic Church structure would certainly lend itself to fantasy and intrigue these sorts of tales (IE. Van Hellsing's most modern redeux) BUT the burgeoning fundamentalist Protestants of the Counter Reform movement also had a fairly radical tinge in their own way. Witchhunts and the like in the colonies, as well as in Germany During the Thirty Years War.

Well Frederic isn't really all that dangerous yet.
BUT, had I added maybe another personality - say that of a murderer, which holds all of his pent up anger, and his burning hatred, his schizophrenia could easily elevate. For plot reasons, Frederic isn't a danger to himself, nor does he have that "murderous" persona, but it's quite possible that a character like him could have a more dangerous side.

However, I think you're right. Madness is probably a better term than schizophrenia. Go to Comment

Thank you! I really enjoy Frederic's story, and his tale is one of my favorite parts of my novel. I can certainly understand him being difficult to bring into a tabletop game. I always thought of him as a cinematic piece, for times when you want to describe a cutscene of sorts, as if the PCs were flies on the wall. Though I am sure there are other ways of the Players finding out the real history of the unhinged Prince. Go to Comment